Marketing Tactics

L Brands, The Cato Corp., and The Buckle reported decreases in same-store sales, although one still managed to sound an upbeat note about its second quarter.   

Amazon’s investments in the shoe business are paying off.   While 2017 is not even close to over, it is shaping up to being a strong year for shoes on Amazon. The company has already experienced 18% growth year-over-year during the first two quarters, alone. For 2016, Amazon had a total of 35% year-over-year growth, according to a study by One Click Retail.   

Empire Outlets, the outlet center taking shape on the Staten Island side of the Staten Island Ferry, has turned to Manhattan and Holly Nichols to help promote the center.   Nichols’s illustrations have guided campaigns for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman-Marcus, not to mention New York and Boston Fashion Weeks. Her work has 600,000 followers on Instagram, and originals sell to collectors on Etsy.  

The address of Under Armour’s new brand house in Detroit — 1201 Woodward Avenue — is an historic one in retail. There, in 1917, S.S. Kresge, the forerunner of Kmart, opened its first Detroit “five-and-dime.” The Kresge Building figures in recent retail history, too, as one of the bloc of buildings purchased by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert in his quest to revitalize Detroit’s blighted downtown.  

Uniqlo will be popping up at airports and malls across the nation — but not through retail storefronts.   Putting a new spin on the term “fast fashion,” the Japanese retailer is launching 6-ft.-high vending machines that will enable customers to purchase T-shirts and lightweight down jackets, the Wall Street Journal reported. Merchandise is packaged in boxes and cans.  

Saks Fifth Avenue is partnering with Disney to celebrate the holidays.   Saks' annual holiday window display at its New York City flagship on Fifth Avenue will be devoted to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." The collaboration with Disney also includes special Disney-inspired fashion, accessories and giftable items created by premier designers and available across Saks' 41 stores in the U.S. and Canada, and Saks.com.   

West Elm is expanding its hotel portfolio — even before it opens its first location.   The retailer, a division of Williams-Sonoma, announced Portland, Maine as the newest location for its West Elm Hotels collection. Expected to open in 2020, the 150 room, full-service boutique hotel  will be developed on Portland’s waterfront by Portland Foreside Development Company LLC, and operated by hotel development and management company DDK, which is West Elm Hotels’ exclusive operator.  

The most digitally savvy generation to date has a soft side for physical stores.    Despite being digital natives, 57% of Generation Z say they prefer to shop in-store rather than online, according to a report from CrowdTwist, a provider of multichannel loyalty and engagement solutions.